Abstract
Purpose: This study aims to qualitatively examine the characteristics of benefit-finding in people with mental illness living in community and being hospitalized in Japan.
Method: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of people with mental illness aged 20 years and above was conducted from June to September 2008 in Japan. The questionnaire included an open-ended question about benefit-finding. Of 193 participants who gave informed consent, valid data from 107 participants were analyzed through content analyses by Berelson.
Results: The seven benefit-finding categories derived from content analyses were as follows: “growth in relationships/awareness about relationships,” “personal growth/change of values in life,” “health-related behavioral changes/self management,” “growing interest or understanding of mental illness,” “finding a new role in society,” “religious growth,” and “others.”
Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that there are various benefit-finding themes for people with mental illness in Japan, and the features were rather common to those observed in previous studies of people with various chronic physical conditions.
